There were plenty of parking spaces available on Vine Street, where he lives at the Arboretum condominium in Denver's Cheesman Park neighborhood. But when Denver Botanic Gardens hosts nighttime events, condo residents are prohibited from parking on the street outside of their homes.
That's because of new city regulations that exclude buildings with more than twenty units from being eligible for the residential parking permit program in certain areas. So even though occupants of houses next door to the condos can park on the street at all times, the condo owners are forced to leave to make way for guests of the Botanic Gardens from 5 to 9 p.m. on event nights.
"We're not welcome in our neighborhood anymore," says Cozzi, who has lived in the condos since November 2021. "The garden sells more tickets than it has parking spots for all of its events. And all of the parking in Cheesman Park is closed. So the city has pushed the guests of two of their venues into our neighborhood and, at the same time, pushed us out."
Cozzi, 37, says his wife is four months pregnant and has been forced to park several blocks away from their home, even when there are parking spaces available directly outside their building.
Since the condo residents lost their parking permits this summer, there have been eleven nighttime Botanic Gardens events that pushed them out of their usual street parking spots. In October, they face a full week of restricted parking during the Glow at the Gardens Halloween event. And this winter, they'll lose access to most street parking for nearly two months straight — from November 20 to January 12 — during Blossoms of Light.
"My wife is going to be in her third trimester. It will be slippery on ice, and she'll be parking far away," Cozzi says. "To tell my wife that she has to walk farther in the heat of summer and the thick of winter just because she's not rich enough [to live in a house], it sucks."
Cozzi, a boardmember of his condo's homeowner association, says he's seen residents move out of the condo building because of frustration over the parking situation: "They don't feel welcome here anymore," he explains. "We're all feeling attacked and harassed by the city." Unpermitted vehicles caught parking in restricted street spots during Botanic Gardens events face citations of $75.
Christine Rosa says she's considered leaving, too. The 73-year-old has lived in the building for twelve years. She says she tried to buy a parking space when she moved in, but none were available. Rosa never had issues with the previous street parking system, but this summer has left her feeling ignored and mistreated as a longtime resident of the neighborhood.
"I feel pushed out. They want us to move, or something," she says. "Just for a few parking spots, they want to upend our living arrangements. ... I've been living here happily for twelve years, and now the city decides to change the rules. It just really feels awful and inconsiderate."
Although the Botanic Gardens is at the center of the parking issue, spokesperson Erin Bird says it is not involved in the permitting process: "The permits are issued by the city's Department of Transportation & Infrastructure," Bird says. "We give the city the dates of our major events, and then they manage the permit process. We were not aware that the permit boundaries changed in 2024 until we heard from neighbors."
Nancy Kuhn, spokesperson for DOTI, says the parking restrictions are intended to manage the increasing demand for parking in the area and help facilitate access. The Botanic Gardens has a 320-space parking garage, but the garage "fills quickly," the garden's website explains, directing visitors to seek parking along Vine, Race, Gaylord, Columbine and Elizabeth streets, or Ninth, 11th and 12th avenues.
"If we issue permits in numbers significantly greater than the on-street supply, we defeat the purpose of the [residential parking permit] program," Kuhn says. "The condo building at 1150 Vine has 57 units — a large number of residents for a small number of on-street spaces."
New city regulations exclude buildings with more than twenty units from being eligible for the residential parking permit program in certain areas.
Hannah Metzger
The city recently removed Botanic Gardens-related parking restrictions on Race Street, one block west of Vine Street where the condominium is located. Kuhn says the restrictions were "less effective" for Race Street, and suggests that Vine Street residents park there instead, or in one of the four unrestricted parking spaces on Vine Street north of 11th Avenue.
However, Cozzi says he and his wife regularly struggle to find parking within four blocks of their home on event nights. And even one extra block-long walk is a big inconvenience for senior residents like Rosa, especially when winter comes and they face restricted parking for two months.
"I'm dreading the winter," Rosa says. "I'm healthy, I can do this stuff, but there are other people that aren't, that are older than me in the building, and they're not as healthy. It's just awful. I don't see how it could possibly be legal to do that. I have no idea what's going on in the city, but it's not right."
In addition to inconveniencing the condo residents, Cozzi takes moral issue with the city's parking policy, as it only impacts the condominium and not the single-family homes on the same street. He calls the parking system classist, favoring those who can afford to buy seven-figure houses in the neighborhood while punishing the comparatively lower-income condo owners.
"We really feel like we're being discriminated against for not being rich enough to buy a home," Cozzi says. "It's the most maddening thing. We're not good enough to park there when the rich come to play in our neighborhood. ... They want to make sure that the wealthy are protected."
Cozzi worries about his property values, too, saying he had planned to eventually rent out his condo, but now fears he won't find a tenant willing to sign on to the tumultuous parking situation. Before the change, Cozzi says, his household was granted two parking permits and two visitor permits that allowed them to park on the street during the Botanic Gardens events.
Cozzi says he has spoken to DOTI, the Botanic Gardens and his Denver City council Representative, Councilman Chris Hinds, all to no avail.
The Arboretum isn't the only building that has raised concerns about the parking system, Hinds says. He's in the middle of an "ongoing conversation" with DOTI about how to address the issue.
"The continued outreach from District 10 residents is helping inform DOTI on additional research," Hinds says. "There are numerous buildings in District 10 that are part of a complicated block — as in housing, retail and tourist destinations sometimes on the same block. I'm organizing a meeting jointly with neighbors who have contacted my office about the residential parking permit program and DOTI."
Kuhn says that changes to the parking policy are possible, such as removing the restrictions on a greater portion of Vine Street, beyond the four unrestricted spaces. "That’s something that can be discussed with the residents moving forward," she adds.
Until then, Cozzi says he will continue to push for change.
"I have 27 years on my mortgage," Cozzi says. "I will never stop highlighting this classist behavior, ever, until they stop it."
